I don’t know about you, but I wasted a significant portion of my life overly concerned with what other people thought of me. The confidence I have today has taken many years to acquire and, surprisingly, it didn’t magically appear after a particular award or promotion, accolade or compliment. In the end, I only became confident after the realization of a simple truth.
I would NEVER be perfect.
After all, “trying” is half the battle. Paired with a little “refusing to quit” and I’m nearly there. The final piece of the confidence puzzle…”no shame”. Let’s face it, nobody is perfect. Everybody has insecurities and experiences self-doubt. There’s only one person that can take your confidence away, and that’s you.
I learned of a Native American belief many years ago while visiting family in northern New Mexico shopping at a local trading post. The beading, basket weaving, and rug weaving had deliberate, but very slight, variations to their patterns. The shop owner informed us of the history and meaning. The imperfections are called “spirit breaks” and are where the spirit can enter or leave the object. She continued to explain that perfection is not achievable by man, only by God. Therefore, seeking perfection is futile.
Her words have lingered with me for well over a decade. Combined with other lessons, teachings, experiences, and perspectives, I now find comfort in the understanding that perfection is not the objective. I find joy in learning from mistakes, reminders of progress. The fear of failure no longer paralyzes the desire to try.
Mistakes are like “spirit breaks”. Through them, we learn the most about ourselves on our imperfect quests for “good enough”.
Sarah J McCrea-Dameron 